The battle between Italy and Japan in the waters near Jiaozhou Bay, where nearly 200,000 tons of steel collided, was the largest naval battle since the advent of ironclads, and naturally attracted the attention of the world.
However, there were only a few that had the strength to send warships to watch the naval battle in the Far East, only the British, French, Russian, American, American and Austrian ones.
So while the warships of Italy and Japan were having an intense ping-pong match, on several warships in the distance, officers from various countries participating in the war stretched their necks and stared at the two warring parties.
"Italian battleships are really good. They are indeed an epoch-making masterpiece."
The speaker was Lieutenant Colonel Bosmann on the German ship Duli. As a German naval officer, he could hardly drool when he looked at the three majestic Turin-class ships in the distance.
The current leaders of the German Navy are the four Brandenburg-class battleships. These 10,000-ton battleships are simply not comparable to the 16,000-ton Turin class, which led the navy into the pre-dreadnought era.
"The battleship is the king of the sea."
These are the words of Major Aloyd, a French officer.
Although the French Navy and the Italian Navy compete fiercely in the Mediterranean, France, which has just ended its green water naval plan, is paying more attention to this naval battle because it will provide more experience for the development of the French Navy.
"There is something wrong with the Italian fleet. The cooperation is too tacit. They must have communication methods that we don't know about."
The British looked at the problem from a very tricky perspective. They did not comment much on the warships of the two parties. Instead, they paid attention to the coordination problem of the Italian warships.
At this time, the British Empire's navy was arrogant and thought highly of itself. Seeing that the Italian fleet's cooperation was better than its own, it immediately realized that something was wrong.
I believe officers from other countries would also notice it, but the British Empire felt something was wrong immediately, which fully demonstrates the high quality of the British Empire's navy.
Of course, no matter how they evaluate this naval battle, the naval officers from various countries who are watching the battle unanimously agree that the combined fleet is at a disadvantage in this naval battle. If effective changes cannot be made, then its failure is imminent.
However, as the Combined Fleet changed its formation, the reactions of officers from various countries were very different. However, in general, Britain, the United States and France gave a positive evaluation to the Combined Fleet's change of formation.
In the words of French Major Aloyd, "The Japanese navy is flexible, knows the enemy's weaknesses, has determination and perseverance, and is very good."
Of course, where there is praise, there is also slander. The evaluation from Germany, Austria and Russia is very bad, in the words of Russian Lieutenant Colonel Ivanlov.
"The Japanese showed their despicableness in front of everyone and actually wanted to use warships to sneak attack transport ships. This dishonorable behavior is simply a shame for their navy. In Russia, this will be tried by a military court."
The polarization of attitudes among countries watching the war also has a political basis.
Needless to say, Britain and the United States supported Japan in using it to resist Russia's expansion in the east, so they naturally did not want to see Italy get involved. And France also sided with Britain and the United States because of Italy's involvement.
On the side of Italy, Austria-Hungary chose to support its actions because the war in the Far East had little impact on them, and because of its relationship with Italy, an increasingly powerful ally. Of course, it did not fail to divert Italian energy to the Far East.
After all, in the Balkans, although the two countries have cooperation, they also have a sense of confrontation. It is much better for Italy to focus on the Far East than on the Balkans.
As for Germany, in addition to the alliance, it has also used Italy to expand its influence in the Far East. After all, except for Italy, other countries are dividing their spheres of influence in the Qing Dynasty, and Germany also wants to find a place here as a
own circle of influence.
As for Russia siding with Italy, that is better explained. The Russians are not aware of the intentions of Britain and the United States. With Italy taking the lead, they naturally have to cheer for them. After all, yellow Russia also has a fatal temptation for them.
Well, as the party that actually participated in the war, the Qing Dynasty was directly ignored. There was no way, who made this old empire perform so poorly in this war, no matter whether it was land or sea, no one could achieve results. This is the Qing Dynasty's Westernization
The achievements of the thirty-year movement were like paper, and were directly pierced by Japan. If Italy had not personally come to help, it could have announced its surrender and negotiated a peace.
But no matter which side they prefer, the final result depends on the performance of both parties.
On the battlefield, the warships of the two sides were still fighting, but they were just divided into two disconnected battlefields. They were said to be disconnected, but the correlation was still huge.
"Fire!"
The captain, Major Paez, looked at the menacing Japanese warship and bravely stopped in front of it to buy time for the follow-up rescue formation. As a high-speed cruiser that can run up to 24 knots, the Eagle used its speed advantage to seize the position.
A good hand.
Following his order, the Eagle's six 152 rapid-fire main guns and eight 120 mm secondary guns roared.
14 shells filled with fury flew over a distance of nearly 4,000 meters and smacked the leading armored cruiser Yoshino.
"Boom, boom!"
"Two shells hit an enemy ship!"
At the top of the rail pole, the lookout post immediately loudly reported the results of the shelling.
"Alas……"
The lookout sentry's report caused a burst of cheers on the warship.
"Let's kick the Japanese monkey's ass."
Encouraged by the victory, the officers and soldiers of the Eagle took the opportunity to launch another round of artillery bombardment.
The fact that the Eagle was beaten happily does not mean that the Yoshino who was beaten was so easy to bully.
The two 254mm main guns on its front deck and the two 152mm secondary guns fired back at random.
The shelling with the roar of death frightened the officers and soldiers of the Eagle. Because the Eagle paid a high price for its high speed, when it was necessary to ensure firepower, the protection could only be adjusted, and the Eagle's
The protection is relatively weak, its main armor is only 25-80 mm, and its height is only 2.8 meters.
This kind of armor is barely able to defend against 6-inch shells of the same level. For example, the 10-inch main gun on the Yoshino cannot be blocked. It is simply a one-shot hit.
Fortunately, the roaring 254mm artillery shells failed to hit them, and instead plunged into the nearby sea.
However, the 10-inch shell dodged, but the 6-inch shell did not. A 152 shell directly hit the middle of the ship and directly broke off two armor plates. This was a great blessing among misfortunes.
Logically speaking, at this time the Eagle should rely on its high mobility to start a battle to reduce the probability of being hit.
But now the Eagle cannot retreat. Once it leaves its position, it will expose the lack of protection of the transport ship to the opponent. Just relying on Pernia, Courage, and the three thousand-ton unprotected cruisers of the Glory are simply costing them their lives.
So the Eagle can only carry it on its own.
As the incoming Japanese warships got closer and closer, the Eagle, which had lost its speed advantage, suffered more and more losses.
"Boom!"
A 254mm shell hit the 152mm main gun at the stern of the ship, easily penetrating its 115mm gun mantlet, and caused a violent explosion.
The violent explosion threw the cannon up, and at the same time swept the rear deck into a bloody mess, adding another horrific scar to the already riddled Eagle.
At this time, the Eagle suffered heavy losses. In just half an hour, the Eagle was hit by dozens of artillery shells, including 254 mm and 203 mm large-caliber artillery shells. The half-hour attack caused most of the Eagle's losses.
The power of the artillery has also been reduced to 13 knots, and more than half of the casualties have been lost. Only one-third of the people who are still capable of action are left.
At this time, the Eagle was on the verge of death. If no one came to save it, its fate of sinking would be announced.
Fortunately, hope came. Under the leadership of two Venice-class improvements, several cruisers rushed over aggressively.
"We are saved!"
With a bloody bandage on his head and a smoky left arm hanging down, Major Pez put down his telescope and said, "We are saved," and then fainted to the ground.
